Burdens
Sorrow

Being sad, crying, feeling depressed and in despair are normal human reactions to distressing experiences. In the first days and weeks afterwards, these reactions of grief help to protect you. You withdraw from people more and you’re unable to be as active as usual. Some people still have these feelings of sadness for months or even years. Often they are no longer capable of feeling happiness or laughing about anything. These people then only have only negative feelings about themselves, about others and about their own future. They feel tired all the time and have no energy to do things any more. They’re unable to concentrate, they sleep badly or lose their appetite.

People who feel like this have lost all self-confidence, they feel worthless, without hope or even to blame for their difficult situation. They feel as if they are at the bottom of a deep pit. Some people also feel that they lack the strength to carry on living. But there are ways of getting out of this situation:

Coping with everyday life.

Showing that you feel sad will help other people to understand that you aren’t doing well now and that kindness and support could do you good. It can help to talk about how you feel. Often it’s a relief to talk about things with someone else and even to cry. Many people probably feel the same. It may also help people in this situation to get practical help in coping with everyday life. Regular exercise especially can help make you stronger. A regular routine for sleeping and waking up helps body and mind as well. And lastly, you can use your own sources of strength to help you get better. Every strategy is more effective the more regularly it is practised. It may be difficult at the outset. Work out a strategy that suits you and follow it regularly. Every day or several times a week is best. If your problems get too much for you, you should see a doctor.